Chemicals

News about Chemicals, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 18, 2015

Editorial examines question of what to do about two bills introduced in Senate that differ significantly in their approaches to reforming Toxic Substances Control Act, which has failed to ensure safety of chemicals used in consumer products; suggests improvements to bill proposed by Sens Tom Udall and David Vitter, which already has bipartisan support. MORE

Mar. 7, 2015

New Mexico Sen Tom Udall is helping to negotiate legislation that would change how government evaluates safety of chemicals; critics of negotiations say Udall has been too open to pressure from chemical industry and his draft is written in way that protects profits more than public health. MORE

Jan. 24, 2015

Campaign by safety and consumer advocacy groups to reduce use of preservative methylisothiazolinone, or MI, in variety of personal and household items illustrates challenges product manufacturers face as they respond to complaints about potentially harmful chemicals; MI has caused serious allergic skin reactions in some consumers; makers question whether specific chemicals are in fact harmful, and assert that limiting use of some chemicals will restrict choices for consumers. MORE

Dec. 18, 2014

Federal grand jury indicts four owners and operators of Freedom Industries, which contaminated Elk River in West Virginia with toxic chemical spill in January; spill caused extended cutoff of drinking water to almost 300,000 residents in and near Charleston. MORE

Nov. 10, 2014

Op-Ed article by policy experts Rolf U Halden and Robert S Lawrence calls for reform to the United States regulatory system and manufacturing approach for chemicals; observes that on average it takes 14 years for government to act on known safety issues, problem that is demonstrated by triclosan and triclocarban, antibacterial contaminants that have been used for some 40 years; makes several recommendations toward establishing sustainable chemical regulation. MORE

Sep. 25, 2014

New chemicals are turning up everywhere in the environment, and the health risks are mostly unknown. MORE

Jul. 15, 2014

Op-Ed article by biologist Mark Winston examines global collapse of honeybee colonies; holds it was brought about in part by the complex interaction of man-made chemicals like pesticides in the environment; contends tumultuous demise of honeybees should alert human beings to their own vulnerability; calls on regulatory authorities to require studies on how exposure to low dosages of combined chemicals may affect human health before approving compounds. MORE

Feb. 10, 2014

Toxic chemical spill in West Virginia has spiraled into a crisis of confidence in state and federal authorities, as residents complain of confusing messages and a lack of trust in experts; spill continues to arouse fear and outrage and threatens a political crisis in a state where lawmakers have long supported the coal and chemical industries. MORE

Jan. 31, 2014

Parabens are used in a wide range of personal care items – from cosmetics to toothpaste, as well as some foods and drugs — but questions remain about their safety. MORE

Jan. 30, 2014

Tests on the water supply in Charleston, W Va, one week after a chemical spill tainted city’s water system and left 300,000 people without safe water, turns up traces of formaldehyde. MORE

Jan. 29, 2014

Op-Ed article by Rafael Moure-Eraso, chairman of the United States Chemical Safety Board, contends that the chemical spill in West Virginia is the latest in a series of disasters and near-misses across the country; warns that urgent steps are required to significantly improve the safety of the nation's chemical industry; contends the Environmental Protection Agency should act now to strengthen safety rules. MORE

Jan. 17, 2014

Editorial contends chemical spill in West Virginia has exposed serious defects in state and federal environmental protections that allow many facilities and chemicals to escape scrutiny; maintains that passing of the crisis, as well as fact that residents can resume drinking tap water, should not dissuade the state or the federal government from strengthening and enforcing statutes. MORE

Dec. 17, 2013

Food and Drug Administration says it is requiring soap manufacturers to demonstrate that antibacterial chemicals used in everyday items are safe or to take them out of products altogether; agency says it is taking step after some data suggested problems like bacterial resistance and hormonal effects; proposal is applauded by public health experts, who have urged agency to regulate antimicrobial chemicals. MORE

Nov. 24, 2013

Nicholas D Kristof Op-Ed column praises HBO documentary Toxic Hot Seat for exposing how the inclusion of flame retardant chemicals in a majority of the furniture sold in the United States is a dizzying corporate scandal; notes that studies have shown that flame retardants have been linked to cancer, birth defects, diminished IQ's and other problems, and have not been proven effective in delaying fires. MORE

Aug. 2, 2013

Pres Obama orders federal agencies to review safety rules at chemical facilities in response to April 2013 explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant that killed 15 people. MORE

Aug. 2, 2013

Editorial praises Pres Obama for directing federal agencies overseeing chemical plants to update regulations, coordinate policies and share information with one another and state and local governments; contends question that remains is how ambitious regulators like the Environmental Protection Agency are willing to be in enacting and enforcing new rules in the face of industry opposition. MORE

Jun. 15, 2013

One person is killed and five injured in chemical plant explosion in Donaldsonville, La, one day after another fatal explosion at chemical plant in neighboring town of Geismar; two explosions do not appear related. MORE

May. 30, 2013

Editorial supports bipartisan Senate bill that would revise 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act because it will be significant advance over current law. MORE

May. 25, 2013

Introduction of bipartisan Senate measure that could lead to first major update to toxic chemical law has surprised both senators and groups that have been pushing for new chemical safety law. MORE

Apr. 19, 2013

Editorial contends it is long past time for Congress to reform 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act so that it provides genuine protection against harmful chemicals in products like shampoos and detergents; calls on Senate to pass Safe Chemicals Act of 2013, which is opposed by both chemical industry and many Republicans. MORE

Apr. 14, 2013

News analysis; overwhelming majority of chemicals in consumer products today have never been independently tested for safety, largely because of the Toxic Substances Control Act, which is outdated; although there has been movement in Congress to update bill, American consumers and companies looking for safer products are largely on their own for the moment. MORE

Feb. 19, 2013

The Week column; Swedish study shows that exposure to anti-anxiety drug Oxazepam changes behavior of wild European perch, raising question of how ecological balance is affected when human-produced chemicals like pharmaceuticals are washed into bodies of water; other significant developments in health and science news highlighted. MORE

Jan. 20, 2013

Nicholas D Kristof Op-Ed column draws attention to studies being done on obesity that suggest that one factor may be endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which are largely unregulated; calls for more research on endocrine disruptors and for Congress to pass Safe Chemicals Act, which would require more stringent safety testing of potentially toxic chemicals. MORE

Oct. 29, 2012

Officials in coastal city of Ningbo, China, promise to halt the expansion of a petrochemical plant after thousands of demonstrators clash with police during three days of protests; unrest spotlights the public's mounting discontent with industrial pollution, and its increasing willingness to openly challenge the government in the streets. MORE

Aug. 30, 2012

Op-Ed article by former New Jersey Gov Christine Todd Whitman calls for legislation giving the Environmental Protection Agency the authority needed to reduce the vulnerability of chemical facilities to act of terrorism; holds providing the EPA with the ability to require that chemical plants evaluate use of safer chemicals and processes is both good policy and good politics in a world continuing to deal with threat of terrorism. MORE

Aug. 26, 2012

Nicholas D Kristof Op-Ed column warns that there is growing evidence that chemicals like bisphenol-A, found in everyday items, could be hazardous to everyone's health; observes that chemical companies have blocked any serious regulation of such substances. MORE

May. 24, 2012

Editorial urges the Environmental Protection Agency, under the Clean Air act, to impose new safety rules on the country's chemical plants; warns plants remain dangerously unprepared for large-scale accidents and terrorist attacks; maintains unilateral action by an agency is necessary due to Congressional gridlock. MORE